A LEGAL BATTLE IS BREWING OVER THE NEW RESTRICTIONS ON COMMERCIAL MEDICAL MARIJUANA FARMING ON RURAL RESIDENTIAL LANDS IN JOSEPHINE COUNTY. PORTLAND ATTORNEY ROSS DAY AND SOME 20 GROWERS ARE …Read More »

I interviewed Councilman Dick Gordon on my show Monday morning, and we talked about a lot of issues, including the Travel Medford contract, which was coming up for review. There’s been a low-level civil war on this for the last couple of years because some on the council wanted the contract put out for bid, others want the status quo. Well, a vote was taken, and the status quo won.

Councilman Gordon defended the status quo, saying the Chamber was doing a great job. We don’t see eye to eye on this, for sure. My question is how do we know the Chamber is doing the best job? Competition for the job or contract works everywhere else in our society except for Travel Medford’s contract?

The Chamber is a good organization, but it also has a political function, and their PAC donates to candidates, which is their right to do so. This PAC has donated to city council members. This fact in combination with refusing to bid the Travel Medford contract out to competition makes the “optics” of this decision look sketchy. Do the people care?

Bill’s Guests for: Wednesday, December 13, 2017:

6:45: James Song, Founder and CEO of ExsulCoin talks with Bill this morning.

BLOCKCHAIN TECH THAT EMPOWERS REFUGEES ExsulCoin, a new blockchain technology platform for refugee-led projects, they recently launched an ICO on December 4th, with an end date of December 19th.

The ICO will raise capital for the ExsulCoin blockchain-based platform through newly issued XUL tokens to provide a variety of services that will transform the lives of refugees throughout the world. ExsulCoin will offer a total of six billion XUL tokens over the coming years.

ExsulCoin was founded by CEO James Song who runs an angel investment group in Myanmar and has direct experience with the ongoing Rohingya humanitarian crisis. He saw the challenges associated with relief efforts in Myanmar and the refugee crises in other parts of the world and sought a way to leverage blockchain technology to provide impactful relief.

7:10: Captain Bill Simpson, retired U.S. Merchant Marine officer, emergency preparedness expert and journalist at MyOutdoorBuddy.com and The Western Journalchats with Bill. Today we’re talking pre-wildfire management with Captain Bill today, and how they could affect you in the future. We’ll also touch on the current state of the deer and elk populations, and other outdoor issues for Southern Oregon and Northern California. Check out Capt. Bill’s article on the subject:

7:35: Lt. Justin Ivens of the Medford Police Department, drops by the studio to bring to you The Southern Oregon Crime Stoppers Case of The Week.

8:35: Kevin Widdison, Executive Director of the Josephine County Food Bank talks with Bill. We’re talking about Josephine County’s hunger needs and fundraising efforts. You can find out more at: JocoFoodBank.org.

Bill’s Guests for: Tuesday, December 12, 2017:

6:20: Rick Manning, President of Americans for Limited Government joins Bill on the phone to bring you the latest from The Swamp.

7:35: Kevin Starrett from the Oregon Firearms Federation talks with Bill this morning. We’re talking today about how the House-passed Concealed Carry Reciprocity Bill may actually HURT the right to keep and bear arms.

Find out more, and check out the latest issues on gun rights at OFF.org.

Oregon ranks 8th in the nation in “burdensome” occupational licensing laws, according to the Institute for Justice’s new report License to Work. The report examines the regulatory burden of state licenses and fees on 102 lower-income occupations. Oregon is also the “8th most broadly and onerously licensed state,” requiring licenses for occupations that most other states don’t.

According to the authors of License to Work, “more Americans than ever must get a government permission slip before they can earn an honest living….Licensing laws now guard entry into hundreds of occupations, including jobs that offer upward mobility to those of modest means, such as cosmetologist, auctioneer, athletic trainer and landscape contractor. Yet research provides scant evidence that licensing does what it is supposed to do—raise the quality of services and protect consumers. Instead, licensing laws often protect those who already have licenses from competition, keeping newcomers out and prices high.”

The Wall Street Journal editorial board pointed out that “stiff licensing requirements are often prohibitive for America’s working poor, keeping them trapped in low-wage, low-skill jobs.” Oregon could make it much easier for job-seekers and potential entrepreneurs to make an honest living by reducing license and fee requirements for occupations that have little to no impact on public safety, and by replacing some occupational licenses with less restrictive credentialing options.

8:35: Phillip Yates from ACCESS comes into the studio for today’s edition of “Whose Business Is It Anyway?”

8:45: Sage Taylor of Wamba Juice & Deli, now Wamba Smoothie & Food joins Bill, in studio. Sage brings in samples of her delectable soups and other foods, from Wamba.

Visit the website: Wamba.online, or give them a call at: 541-779-2215.

ALERT!

The future of transportation in Medford could be in jepoardy. The Medford City Council is looking at a new transportation plan. One of the goals of this plan is to cut down on single occupant vehicle travel within the city limits, and basically, force people to use public transportation such as RVTD, or carpooling, bicycling or walking to work.

7:20: Mr. X. Crack researcher and expert on all things Green Mafia shenanigans, leaves the safety of his Southern Oregon bunker, and joins Bill in studio. Today, it’s all about how the City of Medford, ostensibly wants to force you out of your car, and make you ride the bus, bike or walk to work every day. All in the name of the hard-Left agenda.

In the early 1950s, senior facilities did not exist as they do now. When the Reverend Ross Knotts—then pastor of the Ashland Methodist Church—couldn’t find an acceptable facility for his retired father, he decided that one should be built on Barneburg Hill in southeast Medford. An ecumenical group of Methodists, Episcopalians, and Presbyterians came together with him on this plan, and “The Manor” was incorporated in 1955. Different civic, professional, and other religious leaders joined together to push the concept into reality.

On November 4, 1961, the Rogue Valley Manor (“RVM”) held its opening ceremony, and the famed announcer, Paul Harvey, broadcasted his show from Medford’s KMED that day about the new “Barneburg Hilton.” Constructed on the highest hill in Medford, the city’s tallest building at ten stories—turquoise-colored with a high center and two, twin ends—looks down onto the Valley and was built by people of faith.

The Manor expanded afterwards to where it now includes three more multi-story buildings, apartments, private care suites, a healthcare center, nine-hole golf course, cottages, and other amenities. The retirement community covers many of the needs of its senior citizens who live there: independent living, assisted living, skilled nursing care, private care, and even memory care. Among different awards received, Hospitality Design and Lodging magazine in 1999 awarded to RVM its Gold Key Award for excellence in senior living design.

However, the story doesn’t end here. To focus on reaching a broader community, the Manor’s Board of Directors in the 1980s decided to form a completely new corporation to oversee this outreach effort. Incorporated in 1990, the new organization was named, “Pacific Retirement Services (‘PRS’)” with RVM as a subsidiary. Today, PRS develops, operates, manages, and markets retirement communities throughout the U.S.

In 2010, the Manor completed a $65 million construction project that included the Manor Terrace to the south (a four-story, 120,000-square-foot building). In 2013, differences arose between the RMV and its corporate parent, PRS, resulting in a settlement with an independent board of directors, a cap on PRS management fees for three years, and a credit back of certain monthly fees to the residents. In 2014, the initial-1961 building underwent an $8 million project to replace windows, change the building’s color, and add new air conditioning and heating systems. These facilities stand out, as do the services to its residents.

8:35: Dick Gordon, Medford City Councilor joins Bill in studio for the latest goings-on in the city of Medford. We’ll also talk more about the changes that Medford appears to want to enact for transportation in the city in the future.